Qrow couldn't quite believe that Cenahria was a shapeshifter. Watching her turn into a beast, so reminiscent of a Grimm, had been terrifying. Not that he would ever admit that, of course. She seemed genuinely scared of people finding out about her abilities, and he could see why. It had been such an easy transition for her, and if he hadn't of known it was her, he may well have attacked her. She hadn't just looked like a beast – she had been a beast.

Qrow also struggled to believe that she had never met another shapeshifter before. She had been honestly surprised when he changed form, her eyes had lit up and he couldn't help but smile at it. After a second's hesitation, he changed again, flying around her, listening to her giggles, and his heart swelled. Fluttering down to land on her shoulder, he cawed softly. She turned her head to look at him, and grinned. She gently stroked him, and electricity coursed through his veins. "Who's a pretty boy then?" She laughed as he cawed in indignation. He was a crow, not a parrot! Smiling inside, he flew away and changed back into himself, leaning on his weapon that he had propped up against a wall.

He looked back at Cenahria, and allowed himself a moment to appreciate how beautiful she looked, standing in the moonlight, eyes aglow. She had relaxed a lot around him, and she was looking up at the sky, serene and peaceful, a small smile on her face. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he cleared his throat. She jumped slightly and looked over at him. Forcing himself not to smile at her, he picked up his weapon. "We should head back." She nodded, and followed him. They walked silently, Cenahria leaving him to his thoughts. Part of him wanted to talk to her, but another part felt that would be too dangerous. "The closer she gets to me, the more hurt she will end up" Qrow kept telling himself. He wouldn't allow her to get hurt, no matter how badly he wanted to get to know her.

"I'm sorry." Qrow looked at her, startled out of his reverie. "I guess you would have preferred to have stayed back at the Inn. With your new… friend." Ah. Yes. The waitress from earlier. Cenahria's body had tensed slightly, and her air of calm looked a little too forced. Was that… jealousy? Despite himself, Qrow felt happy at the idea. "Nah. I'd already turned her down before you went running into the night." Qrow could have left it at that, but something took over him. "And anyway. I doubt it would have been more fun than what we have done this evening." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slight flush appear on Cenahria's cheeks, and he grinned. "And how could I refuse to help? You needed a strong Huntsman to take down those Grimm for you." She smirked at him. "Oh yes, the great and powerful Huntsman Qrow, who needed me to help him finish off the largest of them." She laughed as she said it, and he gave her a look of mock hurt. Giggling, she gently poked his arm. "You stop that. I know you're not really hurt." Cenahria had relaxed again, and was smiling properly. Turning away from her, he smiled to himself.

They walked in silence for a bit longer. Remembering their earlier conversation, Qrow looked sideways at Cenahria. "You were gonna tell me about your semblance." Walking quicker, Cenahria looked down at the floor. "You know, I was very impressed with your fighting. You seem to really enjoy it." Concerned, Qrow took her arm, and stopped her walking. She refused to look at him. "Quit changing the subject. I proved your fears wrong with your little beast secret. You can trust me." He moved around her, so she was facing him, and lifted her face so he could look into her deep, violet eyes. There was a storm in them, a turbulent mix of confusion, and secrecy and fear. "You can trust me." He repeated, softly this time. She turned out of his grip, and he let her move away. "I have to give her a little space if I want her to trust me" he thought to himself, fighting the urge to go after her. A smaller voice in the back of his mind questioned why he even cared.

After a little while, Cenahria sat down on a small grassy hill. The Inn they were staying in wasn't in the main city of Mistral – it was a few minutes' walk from the hustle and bustle of the City, through a small grove of trees and other greenery. Deep forest lay the other side of the Inn, and several times during their stay, Qrow had gone for silent walks amongst the trees. Moving slowly, to judge her reaction, Qrow went to sit beside her. She didn't move away, which he took as a good sign. Waiting patiently, he let her sit in silence. "I told you earlier that my semblance is not my ability to shape shift. That it's the reason I stay away from people." Qrow nodded, and she took a deep breath. He felt sorry for her – she clearly found it difficult to admit to what her semblance was, but he understood that feeling of wanting to stay away from others. Her hair had fallen about her face, and he once again thought of how attractive she was. As he thought it, she looked up at him, the fear in her eyes even stronger.

"My semblance is… different. I can't turn it on or off like everyone else. It's not something I'm able to have a lot of control over either. I can…" Qrow placed his hand on her arm, willing her to trust him. He wasn't going anywhere, despite the furious protestations of his head. Swallowing, she continued. "I can feel the emotions of people around me. Not just people – Grimm too. That's how I knew they were coming. I could feel the negativity they had been attracted to, I could feel their anger and their hunger for blood. And when I say the people around me, I mean everyone. All of the time. There is no off switch. That in itself is enough to lose friends – who wants to be friends with someone you can never keep a secret from? Couple it with my ability to shape shift into a Grimm, and people start to question my intentions. I can turn into a Grimm, I can feel what they feel… what separates me from them? Every single emotion that people feel, I feel too. It causes a lot of problems. That's why I ran away from my family, and my friends. I was a disappointment to my family. They denied it, but I literally could feel it pouring out of them. The other thing is, combined, my shape shifting and semblance can be… chaotic. To shift, I have to channel negative emotions. If I am in a situation where I am surrounded by negativity, I sometimes struggle to contain the urge to shift. I've hurt people I care deeply about by losing control. That's why I will likely leave you all soon. I cannot be trusted to be around others. No matter how much I care for them."

Cenahria had barely paused for breath during her speech, and she still wouldn't look at him. He was in shock. All emotions. All of the time. He thought back to when he had first met her, to everything he had felt. Sudden, rare embarrassment flooded through him at all of the silent observations he had made about her appearance, about her body. She looked up at him, and smiled slightly. "Yes, I know how you feel. Not… completely but. Mostly. It's… flattering." She blushed deeply, and he grinned to himself. At least he hadn't scared her.

"So, tell me. What am I feeling. Right now?" She looked up at him, disbelief on her face, and he grinned. He wanted to make her smile again – she looked too upset. "I… are you testing me?" He shrugged, and pulled out his hip flask. Taking a long swig, he looked at her, and motioned for her to go ahead. "Alright then… you feel. Nothing. Nothing that I was expecting, anyway." She frowned slightly, and tilted her head to look at him. "There's no fear, or confusion. No disbelief. I know you're only doing this to make me feel better. To show me that you're not going to run away, and that you aren't scared of me, or what I can do. You feel… understanding." That was impressive. She was, of course, absolutely spot on, and he allowed himself to fully feel it. She smiled self-consciously, and her eyes finally held that beautiful light again.

As soon as he thought it, he regretted it, as Cenahria blushed deeper. "Please, don't regret it. If my semblance has taught me anything, it's that you cannot help how you feel. Even if feelings can be somewhat confusing." She had a point there. Standing, he offered her his hand, and she allowed him to help her up for the second time that night. "We really should head back." He looked at her, suddenly uncertain. She knew everything that he felt. Which meant she knew that he was trying to hide it, and deny it. She was smiling to herself, but her eyes still looked a little worried.

Acting entirely on instinct, he lifted her face up again, and looked deep into her eyes. For a brief moment, only for a second, he stopped fighting, and allowed himself to really feel the understanding he had for her, and why she felt she needed to run away. He thought back to her speech, and remembered what she had said about leaving their group. The thought made him unusually sad, and he allowed himself to feel that too, albeit briefly. He let the relief at finally finding someone who could understand the plight of having a semblance that you couldn't shut off flood through him, as well as his own reluctance to open up about his own semblance. The only thing he desperately tried to keep hidden was his confusion at his feelings for her, this woman he had not known for 24 hours. He only held her eyes for a few seconds, but the rush of emotions was strange for him, and it appeared to take her breath away. He hoped she was a little less worried now. Stepping back, she looked up at him, dark eyes unfathomable, and nodded. He smiled at her, and she smiled back; she had understood his meaning.

They walked the short distance back to the Inn in silence. Stepping through the door, the bar was completely empty, save for the waitress from earlier. Qrow was still trying to process all of the emotions he had felt and revealed to Cenahria, and he didn't realise at first that she had gone on without him. "Try not to stay up too late. Goodnight, Qrow." Startled by her soft voice, Qrow watched Cenahria walk away from him, and up the stairs. The waitress was sitting by herself, drinking, and was watching him, a playful smile on her lips. He didn't need Cenahria's semblance to work out exactly what had her up so late. As Cenahria disappeared up the stairs, the waitress stood, her eyes seductive. She had long brunette hair, and was attractive, especially in her short skirt. He looked her up and down, and she bit her lip, beckoning him with one finger. He was about to move forward when he heard a door close upstairs. "I hope Cenahria manages to sleep easy tonight" the thought came unbidden to him, and just like that, the waitress became just another girl. He sighed, and looked her up and down again. She was attractive, but he had seen better that evening. "Not gonna happen I'm afraid." He ignored the look of rejection on her face, and made his way to bed.